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LinuxCNC

LinuxCNC and Tuya Smart Plugs

It has been a long wait to have automatic dust extraction on my PrintNC. It comprises of two elements: An extractor – to replace the 20-30 year old Vax/Bunnings bucket combo, and a smart plug to have it automatically turning it on and off. The Extractor The extractor was purchased second hand at a great price ($50AUD). The 5 inch nozzle was reduced to 4 inches, mainly because of the price of 5 inch PVC pipe. The flexible tube is 100mm Ag pipe. I had initially planned to use all Ag pipe, but there was performance issues during testing when using long lengths of it. Automation – Tuya Smart Plug To turn the extractor on and off I purchased a Powertech Smart Plug from Jaycar on sale ($19AUD). My researched shows it was based on… Read More »LinuxCNC and Tuya Smart Plugs

V-Carve Inlay with Estlcam – Solved

I’ve wanted to do some wooden inlays for a while. I’m reluctant to learn any new software since Estlcam has been awesome to use for everything else. I’m sure there will be a need to move on at some point, but that time is not today 🙂 I did buy a month subscription for Carveco to complete an inlay, but it turns out I didn’t need it. I found a way to perform the same functions in Estlcam. By following most of this tutorial for Carveco, I was able to use the same basic idea in Estlcam. The basics behind why it works: WARNING – Manually start your spindle before starting the male carving as its “Start layer” is 5mm below the timber surface. If needed, add a have a small shape to mill at… Read More »V-Carve Inlay with Estlcam – Solved

PrintNC – CNC

For those not familiar with the PrintNC project: Home page, Wiki. This has been a project that’s been in design and construction for over a year. Main delays have were due to shipping, manufacturing and poor quality replacements, over all poor communication from vendors, but mostly the reluctance to spend the money – What can I say, I’m cheap 🙂 This CNC was (as it is for many) to replace my MP-CNC that has been mostly unreliable and needed another rebuild. It got to the point the mancave was getting so hot, that plastic parts under tension were warping over time. For the record, it was 52 degrees C this summer. Design and Purchase I went with the default size as it gives me about the same size of work area as the MP-CNC for… Read More »PrintNC – CNC